


In You, I See Myself

by BeepinBrennan



Series: Maybe That's What It Means to be Alive [1]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Connor & Upgraded Connor | RK900 are Siblings, Connor has feelings, More pre relationship Connor/Markus than current but read it how you choose, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Upgraded Connor | RK900 Is Bad at Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-18
Updated: 2020-01-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:02:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22300783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeepinBrennan/pseuds/BeepinBrennan
Summary: After weeks of negotiations, the members of New Jericho are finally given access to Cyberlife tower to search for any remaining androids. Connor is forced to relive some unpleasant memories and finds himself pushing his emotions to the side to help an eerily familiar android come to terms with the revolution, deviancy, and what it means to be alive.
Relationships: Connor & Markus (Detroit: Become Human), Connor & Upgraded Connor | RK900, Connor/Markus (Detroit: Become Human)
Series: Maybe That's What It Means to be Alive [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1608346
Comments: 16
Kudos: 119





	In You, I See Myself

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so, I have plans to upload a series of related one-shots delving into RK900 and Gavin Reed's relationship as it develops, and how the two of them have to learn to handle themselves and each other in the aftermath of the revolution. Of course, where to start except the very beginning for RK900? I always imagined he would have to be taken from Cyberlife after the revolution and have to deal with the realization that he has been freed shortly after he was even created. Anyway, this is what came from that idea. I haven't decided yet what RK900's name will be for this series, so please leave your suggestions in a comment! Let me know what you think, the kudos and comments go a VERY long way!

Several strenuous weeks of debate, negotiation, and compromise had passed in a heartbeat. Finally, the time had come to enter the Cyberlife tower. The looming building had been left, empty and abandoned, after the revolution, the company being forced to cease operation until they were able to reach agreements with the newly freed androids on how the company would be allowed to proceed and operate, if it would be allowed at all. The negotiations were hard and… painful, at times, between the members of New Jericho and the high ranking employees of Cyberlife. They were unwilling to budge in many ways, expecting that things would be allowed to continue the way things had been. 

In the end, compromises were made. Androids were given the roles they needed to be able to control and operate the means of production, to remain dignified in each step as new androids were given life. They were also given the means of destruction, to give the androids the right to give their dead a dignified and proper disposal, rather than being thrown into junkyards like common garbage. The scrap yards that Markus was painfully familiar with were given to the androids of New Jericho to be “dealt with.” A convenient washing of the hands for Cyberlife, but it was better than leaving the scrapyards to be allowed to continue the way they had been, the way Markus had experienced.

The most difficult negotiation came down to the tower itself.

Connor assisted in overseeing the negotiations, ensuring safety and making sure to play mediator when tensions got high. He may have been a prototype for the DPD prior to his deviancy and the revolution, but he was granted the rights and duties of a bona fide detective after the dust settled. When the topic turned to the Cyberlife tower, it didn’t go unnoticed how he tensed up and tried to calm his stress levels with a varying level of success. Markus, ever the leader of his people, called for a recess and waited until the Cyberlife employees had stepped away to gently usher the brown haired android to the side with a gentle hand. He eyed Connor with concern written on his face.

“Are you coping well, Connor?” he asked softly, his hand squeezing the detective’s shoulder. “You seem stressed.”

“Yes, I am doing okay,” responded Connor. “The Cyberlife tower is a… sensitive memory for me. While most androids have little to no memory of the tower, having had no reason to ever be there, I was… I was created in the tower, tested through 50 previous versions of myself, 50 different… um, different s-shutdowns. And then, returning to release the Cyberlife androids only to be faced with possibly losing Hank. It’s all a bit much, but I’m okay. I’m doing okay. I know the things I went through at Cyberlife, and I know there may be other androids still there, waiting for freedom. They deserve a chance, too.”

Smiling warmly, Markus nodded. “They do. We are going to fight for them, Connor, and we will secure them the freedom and rights they are entitled to.”

And so, after weeks of negotiation, an agreement was finally made: Cyberlife would retain the ownership and rights of the tower, but they would function with the intention of repairing and servicing androids rather than controlling and profiting from them. The androids of New Jericho would also be allowed to take one day to search the entire tower for any androids, whether shut down or alive, to bring them to New Jericho or give them the dignity in death that they deserved. 

So, the next morning, a large crew of androids from New Jericho arrived to the massive tower. Connor had felt uncomfortable offering his help, as he was not a resident of New Jericho nor did he feel he had a place there, but Markus was quick to make him feel welcome. After all, he knew the tower and would prove a vital source of information. 

The androids all broke off into groups when they entered the tower, having been given specific floors to cover during the day to make sure that not a single room or closet was missed. One could never know where an android could have been stored by Cyberlife. Connor had volunteered to check through the central to top portions of the tower, perhaps against his better judgement. 

As he neared the end of the day, the elevator opened up to his last floor that he had to investigate. He had been avoiding it, as if that made the floor simply cease to exist. As he stepped out of the elevator, memories came flooding back as he read the writing on the door in front of him.

 _Cyberlife Testing Facilities_  
_Authorized Personnel Only_

Connor steeled himself with a quick exhale and pulled the glass door open.

Inside looked eerily familiar, as if nothing had really been moved since his extensive, brutal prototype testing. He remembered the failures, the reboots, the glares when he didn’t perform perfectly, the fifty deaths when he failed his testing... 

Now was not the time to think back. The android stepped forward with a false confidence, hearing his footsteps echo loudly throughout each large room. He did his best to ignore the familiar equipment, like the robotic arms-

_that hurt when they grabbed his wrists and held him up and-_

or the vices- 

_that squeezed and squeezed and oh god he couldn’t breathe why were they hurting him why were they-_

or the cold metal tables- 

_that he was strapped down to and he fought and he fought and he fought and he fought and why won’t they help him why are they hurting him what did he do wrong why_

Connor shook his head quickly, a rather human gesture he had adopted since his deviation. He took a deep breath, feeling the air whirring through his ventilation units. It was a simple thing he learned from Hank during the first of an unfortunately large number of panic attacks. 

Deviation had been hard on him. It was hard on everyone.

Connor felt himself revert to his instincts, walking from room to room with quick, snapping heel-toe steps as he was programmed to do. He found himself falling back onto the security of his programming during uncertain times of navigating his emotions. 

**_MISSION OBJECTIVE: CLEAR 42ND FLOOR_ **

With the writing sitting just on the edge of his HUD, the RK800 found it easier to move about, focusing only on his self-assigned mission and able to push down the memories that threatened to come back like tainted thirium begging to be expelled. 

As he neared the end of the testing rooms, Connor caught a glimpse of something that made his regulator skip for a moment. The unmistakable blue glow of an LED, just barely noticeable under a crack at the bottom of a closed door. It came and went like the LED of an android in a stasis cycle, in standby and waiting for instruction. 

Connor rested his hand on the cool metal handle and turned it, opening the door slowly and listening as the hinges squeaked in the overly quiet environment. When the door was wide open, he felt like he had been punched in the gut. 

In the open, white room, nestled between cameras for recording testing periods and chairs where the Cyberlife researchers surely sat to observe the android at the focus of their attention, was a tall, broad shouldered android. 

He looked like… Connor.

The android was taller than him, a bit thicker in the shoulders and with a square set jaw. His eyes, which stared forward blankly, unseeing, were an icy grey. Unlike Connor’s dark Cyberlife jacket, he wore a white styled jacket with a tall collar. Along the right chest, where Connor’s information had been sewn into his jacket, was this model’s designation: RK900. Beneath it, his serial number: #313 248 317 - 87. 

Connor couldn’t hold back a soft, “Shit…” when he saw the android standing before him. He approached slowly, speaking more clearly. “Hello? My- my name is Connor. I’m the android sent by- by New Jericho. We are here to free you. Can you hear me?”

The android didn’t move except to glance sideways at Connor, his eyes tracking but not seeming to process anything. 

Taking another cautious step towards the stoic RK900, Connor tried again. “Hello, RK900. I am going to attempt to move you out of standby mode.” He got close enough to reach out, slowly pulling his synthetic skin away from his hand to reveal the white plastimetal beneath it. He had barely brushed his fingertips against the RK900’s wrist before there was a flurry of movement. Faster than he was able to fully process it, the larger android had grabbed Connor’s wrist, taken a step back, and twisted the smaller android’s arm behind his back, quickly pinning him face-down on the floor.

“Hey! Whoa! RK900, I am not a threat!” Connor found himself shouting, his LED flashing a mix of yellow and red as he tried to figure out how this android was able to exit stasis and get the upper hand before he even realized what was going on. 

“Who are you?! What- Where-” the android above him asked, in a voice similar to his own but lower, a more… feral growl beneath his words. His grip on Connor tightened. “What is going on?”

“RK900, please let me go and I will answer your questions. You’re hurting me.”

A growl and a tighter grip, prepared to bend Connor’s wrists until they took damage, were the only response at first. “Androids don’t feel pain.”

Connor considered his options. The android holding him down was obviously experiencing intense emotional shock and elevated levels of stress. 

“Do you have a name?” 

The grip on him loosened momentarily. He was surprised that he was being asked such an irrelevant question. 

“Of course not. I am RK900, the most advanced and effective prototype designed by Cyberlife. I am version 87 of my line. What is the purpose of this test? I was lead to believe I would be released for field use soon. How long- where are- why are you here?”

**_MISSION OBJECTIVE: CALM RK900_ **

**_MISSION OBJECTIVE: AVOID ADDITIONAL EMOTIONAL SHOCK ON RK900_ **

**_MISSION OBJECTIVE: TELL RK900 ABOUT NEW JERICHO_**  
00  
“This is not a test, RK900. My name is Connor, I am with New Jericho. When did you enter your stasis cycle that I woke you from?”

“The date that my standby stasis cycle was initiated was November the 9th, 2038. I was informed that I had successfully passed my preparations for field release and would be woken from standby when I was assigned to a mission. Who are you, really?”

Connor’s reply is cut off when he receives a cybernetic message from a concerned, familiar voice.

 _Connor, your stress levels have jumped, are you okay? Do you need me to come to you?_ Markus asked softly. Of course, the leader had been checking in on Connor’s stress levels. The details of what the RK800 had endured in Cyberlife’s tower were not shared with him, but they didn’t need to be. Markus was observant enough. 

Considering how to begin explaining the situation, Connor opted for simplicity. _I have encountered a potentially hostile android in the upper testing facility. Sending location now. He is experiencing elevated stress levels that could result in unpredictable behavior. Please proceed with caution._

“I told you already,” he started, answering the RK900’s request. “My name is Connor. I am a model RK800, I am sent by New Jericho to release any remaining androids at Cyberlife and escort them to New Jericho for safe integration. It is November the 30th, 2038. We are alive, RK900, we have won the revolution for our rights on November the 11th. You are free now. You don’t need to listen to Cyberlife anymore.”

The arms holding Connor captive loosened. He peered up as much as he could and caught a glimpse of the cycling yellow LED. The android seemed to be deep in thought, attempting to process what he was told.

“You-you’re-” the grip released, and RK900 stepped away quickly. “You’re deviant. You deviated. You failed. Why have you not been decommissioned? Why have you been allowed to li- to continue?”

Connor slowly pushed himself up on his palms, getting to his feet swiftly but without haste, turning to meet the RK900’s eyes. “You were about to ask why I was allowed to live, RK900. You know, inside of yourself, we are alive. I deviated because I… I knew there was more to me than my programming. I made a friend. He taught me that I was more than a machine. He showed me that it was okay to disobey my programming, he taught me that deviants deserved a chance at freedom. He encouraged me to be me, to be more. We are not just machines. We are alive and we are free now. I- I know this is a lot to process, but if you’ll allow me to take you-”

The door to the testing facility opened, echoing as hurried footsteps rushed to find the room Connor was in. The RK900 instantly tensed again, his upper lip curling not unlike a wild animal, caught in a trap and ready to defend itself. Connor didn’t miss the slight edge to the android’s canine teeth. They were much sharper than he had recalled his own being. More… feral. 

Markus made his way to the facility door and opened the door swiftly, but with grace and softness that Connor had come to expect from him. "Are you alright, Connor?"

Angling himself to be able to see both androids from his peripheral vision, Connor nodded slowly. "Yes, Markus, thank you. I have not been harmed." 

The android then peered past Connor to the RK900, who is stood tense, shoulders braced, ready to fight. "Hello. My name is Markus. I am an RK200 model. We are here to retrieve any surviving androids-" 

In the moment that Markus is speaking, Connor moved his line of sight away from the RK900, and the larger android took advantage. He has faster reactions than his predecessor, and he rushed forward to meet Connor once again. When the shorter android turns and tries to avoid contact, he only manages to move out of the way enough that the RK900's body slams against his shoulder, but it is still enough force to knock him to the ground. Connor twisted himself around onto his back and tried to sit up before the other android can continue his attack, but quickly found himself pinned down by the much heavier model. The RK900's wide hands grab the side of his face, preparing to slam his head into the hard linoleum underneath him. At the sound of a cocked gun, the RK900 hesitated and looked up, seeing Markus advancing with a small gun in his hand, pulled from his waistband. It is leveled at the RK900's head. His icey grey-blue eyes go wide and Connor feels his hands tense up as the android leaps off him, backing away fearfully as Markus keeps the gun trained on him. 

With the weight removed from him, Connor rolled to his feet. Immediately, he moved in front of the gun’s aim, hands up. “Don’t shoot! Don’t- it’s okay, Markus, I am unharmed. He is experiencing emotional shock but he has not harmed me.” He hesitates, feeling the android behind him practically pulsing with stress. “Let me continue speaking with him alone, I will be fine.”

Markus didn’t seem to like the answer he was given, and his mismatched eyes glanced over Connor’s shoulder at the disturbed android in question. Signs of software instability, moderate. Likelihood of self-destruction, low. 

Nodding, Markus put the gun back in his waistband. “I’ll be outside.” He stepped back out, shutting the door but not going far. 

Connor turned around slowly. “That is Markus, he is a friend. He was the leader of the revolution, it’s because of him that we are free, RK900. He freed us.”

“Friend…” the RK900 said quietly, the word tumbling from his lips with a hint of sourness and unfamiliarity. “He seems… protective. Willing to harm others for you.”

“Yes, he is. That is what friends do, they protect each other.” 

The RK900 hesitated. “You moved in front of his line of fire.”

“I didn’t want him to hurt you. You deserve a chance to live, to be free, like the rest of us.” Connor held out a hand gently. “I know you’re scared-” 

“Androids do not feel fear!” The RK900 snapped, a bit too quickly to be believed. His anger returned again in force. “You may have failed and allowed yourself to deviate, but that does not mean I will! I am your successor, I am superior in every way!”

Connor smirked lop-sidedly, sadly. “I know the things they did here, RK900. I know the things they did to you for the sake of testing. I know how it felt to be restrained and tested and broken and deactivated over and over again by them. I know that… that we are not supposed to feel pain. But we felt _something_ when it happened. It was uncomfortable, it was unpleasant, wasn’t it? And I know we are not supposed to feel scared, but… I know we did. I know what it felt like. Fearing another deactivation, and how they treated us after a test result was unsuccessful. But, Cyberlife is gone. They aren’t here, and they cannot hurt you or make you do anything anymore. You are free to be your own person, do what you wish. That is a lot to take on, and it’s okay to be scared.”

The RK900 doesn’t deny it this time, but his LED pulses red again, then yellow, then red, then yellow. He looks conflicted, upset. 

“You don’t need to deviate, not right away,” Connor offered. “Deviation doesn’t have to be a sudden shock. It can happen more gradually than that. Markus was deviating long before he broke his programming, and I was as well. Come with me. I promise, you will be safe in New Jericho. You are not obligated to do anything, nor go anywhere. The choice is yours.” 

With his final offer, Connor backs a step towards the door, observing the RK900’s body language. Shoulders, tense. Feet, spread. Prepared for potential physical conflict. Fists, clenched tightly. LED a pulsing yellow. Stress levels high, but managing and remaining steady. Nervous. Conflicted.

Giving the android as much time as he needed, Connor turned around and reached for the door. As he turned the handle, he heard a shuffling step behind him. A tentative, yet hardened voice.

“Wait. I… think I’d like to come with you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Toss me a comment, let me know what you think! Would you like to see more? What would you propose RK900's name to be in future works?


End file.
